The Internet has made it possible for education to be widespread and shared freely. University-level knowledge across all fields is available to everyone with a grasp of the English language and a solid Internet connection. It's an amazing feat of humanity and truly one of technological society's proudest moments.

Smartphones make it possible to access the near limitless wealth of knowledge found online wherever you are, right with your fingertips, and it's not just Wikipedia that's available to you. Here are five excellent education apps for students of all ages and backgrounds. Whatever it is that you're interested in, chances are you will find suitable educational materials in them. Enjoy!

Coursera

The free Coursera App gives you access to more than 1,000 courses and specializations developed by over 140 of the best colleges and universities in the world. You'll get to learn from top instructors in an engaging learning experience. Spread over more than a thousand courses, lecture videos can be streamed online at any time, or downloaded for offline viewing. Your coursework, quizzes and projects can be saved across both platforms. You also get to earn course and specialization certificates and share your success with employers, colleagues, or friends. Learning subjects broadly include computers, data, business, sciences, arts, and other interesting stuff.

Coursera

Coursera

TED

The TED app lets you explore more than 2,000 TED Talks from influential people, sorted by topic and mood – from tech and science to education and psychology. You are able to browse the entire TED Talks video library, with subtitles provided in over 100 languages. You can also listen to episodes of the acclaimed TED Radio Hour podcast, a co-production of NPR and TED. Videos and talks can be downloaded for offline playback or bookmarked for later. TED can also build you a custom playlist, tailored to your chosen timeframe.

TED

TED

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is famous for allowing you to learn almost anything for free. There are over 10,000 videos and explanations at your fingertips across math, science, economics, history, and other subjects. Over 150,000 interactive Common Core aligned practice questions are included, featuring instant feedback and step-by-step hints. You can follow along with what you’re learning in school, or just practice at your own pace. You're able to bookmark your favorite content to “Your List” for easy access, and download it to keep learning offline. All of Khan Academy's materials and resources are available completely free of charge.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy

Wolphram|Alpha

Building on 25 years of development led by Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram|Alpha has become the world's definite source for instant mathematical computation. It uses a vast collection of algorithms and data to compute answers and generate reports. Parts of Wolfram|Alpha are even used in the Apple Siri Assistant. The app gives users access to the full power of the Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine.